Port Vale chief executive Colin Garlick says there is still room in Michael Brown’s budget for more signings as the manager looks at free agents.

Vale can’t sign or loan players from other clubs now the transfer window has closed, but they can still sign players who have been free agents since the end of last season.

Garlick believes the players in the current squad are good enough to get the Valiants promoted, but he says there is money available if the right players are available.

He said: “I think we have the quality of players in this building to get us out of this division anyway. But there might be one or two players out there that can bring a little bit more to the party, I am not saying there isn’t.

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“We know that players who have been at this club – whether it be Chris Eagles or Ryan Taylor – haven’t actually got clubs at the moment. If we believe there is a player out there that can bring something extra to the party then yes we will look to bring them in. But I actually do believe that we have the players in the building that are good enough to get us out of this division and take us back to League One.”

Former Port Vale attacking midfielder Chris Eagles

The Valiants are second bottom after five games, but Garlick says that is far too early to make a judgement about Vale’s chances this season under Michael Brown.

He points to the example of Blackpool, who were promoted through the League Two play-offs last season despite only winning two of their opening nine league games. He also highlights his former club Rochdale who finished ninth in League One despite failing to win any of their opening seven league games.

He said: “Let’s be patient and let’s be supportive, this still is the early throes of the season.

“I have quoted my old club and Blackpool. These things can happen, it is that early. I think we should maybe have look at it once we get a dozen games under our belt and see where we are at that point.”

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Vale won their opening game of the season, 3-1 at Crawley, but have suffered four consecutive league defeats, at home to Wycombe, Crewe and Notts County, and away at Chesterfield.

Brown came under fire from supporters at the end of the Notts County game on Saturday, but Garlick says it is too soon to talk about the end of the manager’s eight-month reign.

The chief executive believes Vale haven’t had the rub of the green in some of those defeats. He says pressure on Brown is mainly from the manager himself because he is desperate to turn results around.

He added: “When you think about it, this matters to a lot of people, make no mistake. It matters to me, to the supporters, but who does it matter to most? It matters to Michael Brown.

“The supporters aren’t going to call for Colin Garlick or Nathan Smith to go, it will be Michael Brown. So I would suggest it matters most to him, more than anybody else.

“He is desperate to get it right and find the right ingredients with the players we have got to get the results for the club and for the supporters.”

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The chief executive says he understands there will be speculation about the manager’s future while the team is losing. But he added: “Other people will speculate on things like that, I just prefer to focus on the positives and that is trying to do everything I can behind the scenes to support Michael, his team and the players to get the best results we can.”